my kitten
by cherrygirl0607
Summary: The world is a strange place, with creatures in it that are half-human, half-animal. Because of the humans fear for them, they are locked up, never to be seen again. Ichigo is half-cat, but is trying to live a human life. she has always been close friends with Kishu. What happens when she is discovered, and gets seperated from Kishu and her family? rated T 'cause I think it is XD
1. Chapter 1

hey guys!

My name's Cherry (pen-nameXD) and this is the first story i'm putting on FF. I want to know what people think, so if you bother reading it, please review! Personally, I don't think this is my best story (yes, I have more) but my friends are really supportive (and slightly lethal) and said this was a good idea. So, thank or blame them. Anyways, enjoy!

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I stared at the building in front of me, awestruck. It looked so big and stylish; I had thought it was something to do with the government. Instead it was the school were we would be competing.

It was time for the annual speech contest for gifted children, and I was elected as one of the few to go root for the two competitors at our school, because I had competed as well. I smiled at grace, who smiled back timidly. She was rooting as well, and, seeing as she was the only other girl from my school, I had decided to stick with her. My own friends had been left behind, because they hadn't wanted to compete. They had supported me though, and I loved them. I had been texting them in the car on our way over here, while chatting to grace.

'Wow, Grace, check it out! It's so big! And the inside is so colourful!' I said that while I ran inside, spinning around to get a good look at everything. My classmates and teachers laughed at me, probably expecting this kind of reaction.

I always acted so much younger than my real age, because that was me. It also had something to do with my secret. Cats were known for being playful.

Yes, that's right, I'm a cat. Well, part cat. I get these cool ears and a tail and stuff and I've got cat powers. But it's a secret. In this society, people like me get captured. Mama had told me scary stories about what humans did to us when they got us. I was always careful, but I couldn't really believe them. My teachers and classmates were always nice to me, especially my friends. And of course Mrs Lovelace, my favourite teacher. I was proud to call her one of my best friends.

As we sat down in the audience and waved our banners, I looked at the massive stage. I thought Lizzie and Marcus should be nervous, having to give a speech in front of that big an audience. Determined to cheer them on, I raised the banner I had spent all night working on. It was actually way too big, but at least I knew they would see it now.

'Ichigo,' Kishu sighed. He was another student chosen to root. I turned to him with my usual smile, and he sighed again. 'Calm down. It's almost starting, and you're ready to jump of the tribunal.'

'It's called cheering, Kishu. Try it!'

He laughed quietly while an announcement sounded through the halls. 'Please take your seats. We will be starting in a few minutes.'

I was happily chatting to my classmates when I heard an irritating buzzing sound. I looked around for a fly or something, but saw nothing. 'Does anybody else hear that,' I asked the others, but they just gave me blank expressions. I shrugged, but the noise was really starting to irritate me. I started rubbing my ear, thinking it was in my head.

The sound was growing louder, and it was hurting me. I clutched my head in my hands, willing it to go away. It got louder and louder until I could only do one thing. I screamed.

I felt the entire audience looking my way, but I couldn't care less. I wanted that noise gone! I hissed, a hiss that no human should be able to make. And then I heard the shouts.

'We got one! Bring the guns, we gotta bring it down!'

'Look at its ears!'

'Careful, they bite!'

In that instant, I knew I had to get out of there. With another hiss, I jumped up onto the banisters I had seen hanging above the tribunes. Of course I made it, and I heard the shocked gasps of my now former classmates. I looked down at them out of curiosity. I shouldn't have.

They were all staring at me with a mix of horror and terror. It stung to see them look at me like that.

Then it hit me. I had to warn my family!

I took out my phone and hit the panic button. I hissed in the cat language that I had been discovered, that I loved them and that they had to get the heck out of Tokyo! Then I closed my phone and threw it at Kishu. 'Take care of that till I get back!' I shouted at him. I grinned and started leaping from banister to banister, hoping to come across a window or escape exit.

Then I heard a gunshot. There was a second of silence, and then a shriek rang through the hall. My shriek. They had hit me in the leg. With a sigh, I fell of the banister, down, down, down to the ground below. I didn't feel the impact. I did feel hands grabbing onto me though. Angered, I shot out my teeth, snapping at all of them.

Then one of them stabbed a knife into my arm. Seeing all the blood, I whined and growled. The blood loss was making my head go fuzzy. I sighed and let my eyes droop, knowing it was pointless. The last thing I saw before they hauled me of, were the horrified faces of my classmates.

'See you later, guys,' I laughed, as the tears streamed out of my eyes. Goodbye for good.


	2. Chapter 2

hiya!

looking back at this story, I realized this is one of those stories that my head wouldn't stop thinking about and I couldn't help but rush through it 'cause there was no time but I HAD to write it down. therefore, kinda suckish compared to other things I've written. But seeing as I don't like quitting, I'll try and make it longer and more fun to read as soon as I actually have time. which could be months from now, but oh well^^ I'm not feeling entirely well, but I have to keep writing. anyone get that feeling that writing takes away all your problems?

I'm prolonging the auther's note now:) just start reading, and if you have time, review!

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**1 year later, Kishu's p.o.v. **

The bus was bustling with excitement as we drove to the prison we were taking our field trip to. Not only were we going to see normal people who had committed crimes like theft and murder, we were going to see an animal.

Everything was wondering what it would be. A bear? A lion? A... cat? I cringed a little at the last one. The memory from over a year ago was still fresh in my mind.

We stopped at the prison. Some of us stared at the huge building in wonder, others were taking pictures. Then Mrs Lovelace ushered us into a line, and we walked inside.

We saw and talked to prisoners for a few hours, but we got bored quickly. We wanted to see the animal.

When Mrs Lovelace saw, she sighed and whispered something in the guide's ear. He seemed to hesitate for a slight second, and then he nodded and led us to a room with what looked like it had hundreds of locks. Once he had unbolted all the locks he pushed us in and pressed a small button. Most of us only had time to see that it was like a huge zoo cage before we heard a call from somewhere high up.

'Jeez, Jeff. Calling my name works just as well you know.'

'The name's Jason,' the guard stated.

'Don't care, never will,' voice said tauntingly.

My heart started thumping uneasily. I was sure I knew that voice. And yet, it was so different from when I had last heard it. It couldn't be, right?

We heard footsteps approaching, and a voice. 'So, who is it today? One of the usual, or tourists?'

'Tourists, beast.'

The voice scoffed at that, and then we finally saw the person we were going to be interviewing. Momomiya Ichigo.

She grinned when she caught sight of us. But it wasn't a grin I had ever seen on her face. Small, baby-like Ichigo did not grin that evilly. It sent shivers up my spine.

It took some time for the rest of the class to recognize Ichigo. I couldn't blame them. She was wearing very short black jeans, a black top that showed most of her torso and high-heels. On every arm and leg and around her neck were metal bands. Her hair was up in ponytails, tied with black ribbons.

'Well, isn't it nice to see you guys again,' she said. She hopped down what seemed like a 15 feet platform and managed to land on her feet. We gasped at her, not used to this. She used to be useless at gym.

'What are the odds, ay? I seriously thought I'd never see you guys again.' She walked closer to us, making most of us step back. She rolled her eyes at that. 'Seriously guys, I am behind barbed wire here. And you didn't used to be afraid of me. Some of you even beat me up daily.' She stared pointedly at what used of be her group of friends. They looked to the ground.

'Alright Mason, we'll see you later.'

'It's Jason!'

'Still don't care!' she replied in a singsong voice. Then she turned to us. 'So guys, we got a whole hour to catch up. What've I missed?'

Still no one dared speak up. She laughed. 'I guess you guys finally got quieter,' she snickered.

When I saw that no one was willing to talk, I spoke up. 'So, Ichigo...'

'That's not my name,' she interrupted me. I stared at her blankly. 'I am the beast.' She raised her arms theatrically when she said 'the beast'.

Everyone couldn't help but giggle a bit at that. Ichigo looked amused. 'I know I don't look it. Wait a sec.' She kicked of her high heels and squatted on her heels, closing her eyes. Suddenly, a tail and ears popped up out of nowhere. She opened her eyes to show that they had changed as well. The sight reminded me of a year ago. 'Better, right?'

A few more seconds of silence and then all of heard someone say: 'So cool.' We turned around to see Kiki staring at Ichigo's ears with longing. Ichigo smiled, baring her fangs. 'I know.'

Her ears twitched, and she looked at Mike, who was fiddling with something in his pocket. He flinched. 'Can I have some, Mike? Please?' none of us understood, except Mike and he eyed the sign next to the cage, reading 'no feeding the animals'. Then he shrugged, reached in his pocket, and took out some bubblegum. He stepped closer to the cage, and reached out. Ichigo smiled eagerly, and put her hands through the wires. Her body seemed to convulse almost instantly, but she ignored it and stuck her hand out further for the gum. She took it and quickly pulled her hand back in the cage, so the convulsing stopped.

'Nasty things, those shocks,' she said as she unwrapped the gum and put it in her mouth. She moaned. 'Ooh, so good! I haven't had this stuff in like, a year. But I haven't had a lot of stuff for that long. Like proper food, proper clothes, a proper life...' she trailed of, and then grinned back at us. It looked a little forced to me.

'So, who's got some questions for me?'

'I have one,' Kyle said. He had always been one of the daring ones, saying things straight out of his mind. 'Didn't you have a family before you came here? What happened to them?'

Ichigo's smile instantly vanished. Her eyes turned angry. 'Don't talk about my family!' she screeched. She leaped to one of the walls and started slashing at them furiously. Everyone was staring at the deep groves forming in the wall, horrified. However, I was staring at her face. She was obviously holding back tears. My heart ached, as it had on that day a year ago.

Soon, a guard came in with a whip. With incredible force, he brought it down on Ichigo's back, causing her to fall to the ground. He brought the whip down a few more times, before he walked back out calmly, as if nothing had happened. Ichigo lay there, her back bleeding heavily. She turned her head around, and sighed, irritated. 'Why does he always have to get blood on the tail? Doesn't he know how hard it is to clean that?'

Then she looked at us, and hissed, low and long. 'I want you all _out_. You have _completely_ ruined my day. I hate you all! Just get out, and never come back!'

Everyone started filling out, not wanting to see anymore. But I had to stay. So I hid in the far corner of the room. There I waited.

It didn't take long. Soon after everyone was gone, I heard sobs coming from the cage. I stood up and walked around the edge to see Ichigo still on her stomach, sobbing to her hearts content.

'Hey,' I said, quietly. She looked up, shocked. Then she got angry.

'What the hell are you doing here? Didn't I tell you...'

'Quit the act,' I stated, and she stopped. Then she sighed.

'You noticed.'

'You're not good at acting. Never were too.' I smiled at the memories, as did she.

'I wasn't lying about the last part,' she said after a minute. 'You should get out, and not come back.'

'Why? Are you going to go all beast on me and eat me?' I joked. She didn't laugh.

'Being treated like this, in front of the people I used to consider my friends.' She smiled at me. 'I feel like a whore with these clothes on. And the way I get beat up every day...'

'You are far from a whore,' I interrupted her. 'And those people have no right to hit you like that.'

'The problem is... they actually do.' A few more tears spilled over her cheeks. 'When they caught me, they took everything from me. I have nothing. I don't even have a name anymore.'

'Momomiya Ichigo,' I stated angrily. 'That IS your name.'

She smiled through her tears. 'Thanks. It feels nice to be called that again.'

I studied her. 'Why haven't you tried escaping?'

'Look behind you,' she said, and I turned. All I saw was a big red button. 'That's the button that shuts down the electric bands. But it's too far away. The farther the one of the bands leaves the wire, the harder the shocks get. I tried once though. They said I was out for three whole days.'

Without further hesitation I slammed my fist into the button. I heard a few clangs and looked around to see Ichigo staring at her wrists, perplexed. Then she looked back up at me. 'You idiot! What have you done?'

'You can escape now!'

'Those people have guns! If I run out there, they'll shoot at me!'

I grinned. 'Not if you have a hostage.'

She caught onto my plan fast. Quickly, she slashed through the wires and stepped out. Then she grabbed onto me and put her talons to my neck. 'No sudden movements, and don't lean forward. Scream if I'm hurting you. Oo, and look terrified.' She smiled. 'Let's get outta here.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi!**

**It's short, I know. I just need to make this clear for a sec:**

**I started writing this story months ago! So this chapter is also from a few months, in one of my busiest times. I know it's short, and I want to make it longer, but I'm in the middle of my testweek, and next week is the end of school, so I'm already struggling with posting these chapters, as my pc sucks and won't work properly!**

**There, that feels better there were a few questions from my first reviewer (thanks btw for that!) starfirewinx. First of all, I've always had a very creative imagination. I hate school, 'cause I feel trapped in there and I can't write. So I imagine things that will happen to make my day more exciting. Basically, my stories are always based on something that happened to me one time or another. The first chapter was based on my junior speeking contest. I participated (but didn't get through to the next round ) and went there to support some kids from my school (they didn't go through either). Anyways, I suggest you just try imagining random things that can happen to you on the street, or getting superpowers or something. Be creative **

**Second, there's some confusion as to why the humans are afraid of people like Ichigo. Well, think about it. If you met someone with cat-ears and such, wouldn't you be scared? I have a terrible fear of dogs (childhood trauma) and that's where the idea first came from. Plus, there are bad people like Ichigo (criminals, paedophiles, murderers). There are a lot of human ones as well, but people usually blame it on the people different from them, get it? It's kinda like discrimination.**

**Another long author's note sorry that this chapter's so short, but I think they'll get longer as the story goes on. Remember, I wrote this months ago! Oo, and I'm almost finished with the story I've even got plans for a sequel! (yeah, I really fail, I always do) **

**I have geography and English tests tomorrow, so wish me luck! Enjoy reading!**

**Ichigo's p.o.v.**

I put on the evil grin I had learned while staying here. Then I kicked the door open and ran outside, hissing menacingly.

In the hallway, we ran into the tourists and the guards. They could only stare at us, shocked. I saw my class, and grinned. 'Looks like you left someone behind. You really should take better care of your students, Mrs Lovelace.' Then I was running again.

The feeling was elating. I hadn't run like this since we had gone running in the forest, as a family.

We got to the gates that gave entry to the outside world. I knew that there was a forest just a few feet away from the prison. If we got in there, we were home free.

'Open the gates!' I screamed at the guard. 'Or I slit this boy's throat!'

I waited a few seconds, but nothing was happening. Apparently these guys thought I wouldn't cut Kishu's throat, which of course I wouldn't. I tried thinking of other things to say to scare them, but then I felt Kishu's head move. Slowly, I felt liquid drip down my hand.

Before I had the chance to whisper to Kishu if he was alright, the gate opened, and I loped towards the forest, disappearing into the dark bushes.

I made sure we were far enough away before I stopped and carefully turned Kishu around. My eyes widened.

He had cut his throat slightly with my talons. It was just a scratch, and it would probably heal by tomorrow, but I still felt anger boiling up inside me.

'How dare you!' I screeched. 'You could have hurt yourself!'

Kishu laughed. 'I can handle a small scratch, Ichigo. Lighten up! You're free!'

I froze, letting that thought process. Free... free...

'I'm free!' I shouted, hugging Kishu and jumping up and down. He laughed at me, when I realized what I was doing. I stepped back, blushing furiously.

'S-sorry,' I stuttered.

'No worries,' he laughed. 'I don't mind. You can snuggle up to me anytime. Specially in those clothes.'

It took me a minute. Then:

'PERVERT!'

I laughed with him, but suddenly I was hit with a wave of dizziness. I collapsed onto the ground, and Kishu rushed over to me. 'Ichigo?'

I grunted, trying to keep my eyes open. 'I'm fine. Just need to rest. The wounds on my back...'

He cursed, and started attending my wounds. I shrugged him off. 'I said I'm fine, I just need some rest. You should go now, back to the real world. Thanks for all your help and all. I owe you my life.'

With that said, I drifted off into a painful yet peaceful sleep.

**Kishu's p.o.v.**

I stared at her sleeping body in shock as the memories shot into my mind.

_Flashback (that day)_

I stared at ichigo while she admired the colossal stage and started bouncing up and down excitedly.

This would be the day. This would be the day I would confess my love to ichigo. I had spent all night working on the speech I would give her. My nerves were driving me crazy. I was determined to get it over with.

When the lights dimmed and the announcer said we would begin in a few minutes, I watched ichigo in confusion. She was hitting her ears, and then clutching her head in what seemed like unbearable agony. I was just about to ask her what was wrong, when she screamed. And then she hissed. I froze in shock.

Then I heard the shouts.

'We got one! Bring the guns, we gotta bring it down!'

'Look at its ears!'

'Careful, they bite!'

My heart broke as realisation hit me. Ichigo was an animal. A beast. A terrible monster.

With another hiss, ichigo leaped up onto the banisters high above us. We all watched in shock as she grabbed her phone, pressed a few buttons and started hissing into it, with an occasional meow. When she was finished, she debated something in her head. Then, she grinned and threw her phone at me. I caught it, as she screamed the words that mended my broken heart: 'Take care of that till I get back!'

She wasn't a monster. She was ichigo, the love of my life. And she was about to be captured by the guards.

I urged her to leap faster across the banisters, to escape. Then I could go find her. I wouldn't stop searching until I had her.

My hope died when I heard the shriek coming from above us. We all stared in horror as ichigo fell down. Miraculously, she didn't break anything. The guards all sprung on her, and I gasped when I heard a pained whine. I saw the blood and felt sick. She saw us, and smiled one last time. I saw her mouth move, and I knew what she was saying.

And as she left, my heart shattered and left with her.

_End flashback_

I gritted my teeth as the memory flashed through my mind. I could still feel the indescribable pain of my true love being dragged away from me. I was NOT gonna let her out of my sight again.

I grinned as a new thought went through my mind.

Momomiya Ichigo had stolen my heart; it was time she gave me hers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello earthlings!**

**I found out that I'm an alien today. I mean, it literally said I was an alien in my geography book O.o kinda annoying, figuring out you've been lied to all your life XD no worries, I'm not a green blob or anything, just an immigrant, apparently. Even though I've been here most of my life. Although, here isn't actually a specific place seeing as I go from one country to another every day... ugh, now I'm just confusing myself! Nevermind.**

**This is still a short chapter, which kinda upsets me. But not as much as the results of my greek test upset me. I mean seriously, a C? The highest grades in the class were C's (and there weren't that many of them) but still! I want a do-over! And how the hell did I get a B in my latin test? It's so high! (ftr, I'm just getting all this out of my system, so don't feel left out if you don't get it)**

**Special thanks to starfirewinx for reviewing (again). I really enjoy reviews like yours. And to answer your question: my trauma is not a big thing. To cut it short, this huge dog got to close when I was little and started barking in my face, and I've never really liked dogs since. I don't like them getting to close, and will probably run away if one comes running at me (although I'm getting better at just standing still and shooing the dog away) there have been dogs that I actually loved but sadly they've all passed away. So, yes, I'm fine:D**

**It looks like I'm really good at making these long reviews, even though only one person reads them. Oh well :) I'll just let you all read the story now. Oo, and I think I'm gonna do less updates, 'cause I'm running out of stuff that I wrote long ago. This is gonna be a relatively short story I think, maybe the sequel will be longer. I'll shut up now. Enjoy!**

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**Ichigo's p.o.v.**

I was confused when I woke up. For the first time in over a year, I actually felt warm and comfortable. In the prison I slept on a cold concrete floor with the clothes I always wore. Now there was a soft, warm object next to me, keeping me warm. I snuggled closer, not wanting it to escape. I heard a muffled sigh of contentment.

That's when I realized the object was moving, and I shot up instantly, sending aching pains up my back. I gasped, and then something was pulling me back down.

'Heyhey, it's okay. You're safe now,' Kishu murmured sleepily as he pulled me into a hug. I blushed, remembering yesterday's events perfectly.

'What are you still doing here?' I hissed. I wasn't angry; just amazed. I stared up at him in amazement, while he just grinned at me.

'I am taking care of you,' he stated, smugly.

'I thought I told you to go home.'

'Actually, you suggested it. And I decided I'd rather stay.'

'Idiot. You're family's gonna be worried sick.'

He shrugged. 'They'll be fine. Right now I'm worried about you.' He touched my back which, I now noticed, was bandaged up. 'I cleaned the wounds and wrapped it in bandage. Then I made the campsite.'

I looked around. There was actually a miniature campsite here, everything made out of material from the forests. There was a small campfire, which had been put out some time ago, and I saw Kishu's backpack lying next to it, with some random things poking out. There was also a first-aid kit, and I wondered idly why someone would have that in their backpack if they were only going out for a day. We were sleeping on a pile of leaves, with his jacket draped over us. I blushed again, seeing how close we were. I ducked my head quickly, and I heard him chuckle.

'u-uhm, w-w-well, th-thank-yo-you...'

I stopped because he was pushing my face up with his fingers, so I had to look him in the eye.

'Aah, Ichigo, it's okay. No need to thank me. Although, a kiss would be nice...'

'Since when are you so perverted?' I mumbled grumpily.

He shrugged again. 'I've always been perverted. I just never showed it to you. Too innocent. You were actually just a child back then.'

'I was not!' I complained. Kishu chuckled again.

I finally pushed Kishu of me and sat up. Other than a few stings in my back I was fine. Kishu stood up too and rushed over to my side to support me. I couldn't help but smile at him. He was so sweet.

Hold on a second! Did I just call Kishu sweet? I didn't mean it like that! He was just... a really good friend! Yeah, that's it!

I shook my head in frustration. Talking to myself was one of the things I had learned in prison. It got pretty lonely in there.

'So, what's the plan?' Kishu asked.

'I am going to search for my family.'

'You mean we. We are going to search for your family.'

'You can't come. You're not as fast as me, and I can't carry you everywhere. You're heavy.'

'I'll ignore that,' he said with a smirk. 'And if you're searching for a way of travel... I think I might have something for you.'

I can't believe this, I thought grumpily. I was racing through the forest, trying my best to remember my way back to the city. Yeah, you heard me, the city. Because kishu's house was at the edge of the city. I guess it would have been worse if he had lived in the centre. His house was directly in front of the forest, the only thing separating them was a high fence. I could probably jump the fence, and otherwise there would be trees to help me.

The reason we were going to kishu's house, was because he had his means of transport there. I still had no clue what it was though. He had stated that it was a surprise. He had insisted that it would be better if he went with me, and I had agreed and let him climb on my back.

And if this transport wasn't any good or even real, I could leave him there without worrying about him. He'd be safe at home.

Only, I didn't think I'd have the heart to leave him. Funny, how attached you could get to someone in less than 24 hours. Although, we had known each other for years, not that we'd been too close... ugh! This is so confusing!

Kishu, who was clinging to my back, must've felt the tension in me, because he started nuzzling my neck playfully. I half laughed, half hissed at him to stop it, or I'd throw him into a tree. It did help though; I felt more relaxed as we neared the city.

When we finally reached the line of hedges, I started jumping on tree branches, slowly going higher. Kishu looked around for a few seconds, then pointed to a green house. I rolled my eyes. Figures.

With a swift leap, I jumped over the hedge and into Kishu's garden. I dove behind some of the trees in the back of the garden. I made my ears and tail go away, and then looked to kishu, who was checking if his parents were home. Apparently there weren't, and he motioned me forward, to the back door. He opened it, and quietly led me through the house, careful not to touch anything. We went through a maze of passages, and then finally we came to another door. Kishu opened it and switched on the lights with a triumphant gesture. I gasped.

In the room was a van, not too big and not too small. It was a dark blue.

'It's awesome!' I cried. Going round and opening the back doors. The inside was furnished with a freezer, a television and a few boxes, which probably worked as cupboards. I turned to kishu again, who was smirking at me. 'We really get to ride in this?'

'Sure.'

'But... won't your parents notice it's gone?'

'They don't even know it exists. This is my room, and I've fixed a lot of stuff here in the past. They're not bothered enough to come check out what kind of things I fix. I found this thing in the graveyard, and I needed a car anyway, now I've got my drivers licence. So I've been repairing it. No one knows about it.'

'So no one will notice if it's gone?' I checked to make sure.

'No one.'

I looked at the wall behind kishu for a few seconds, then back at him. 'You're sure you want to come? I am still being hunted.'

Kishu grinned. 'Positive. I need a bit of danger in my life.'

I smiled eagerly. 'Well come on then! Let's go!'

We climbed in, me in the back so I wouldn't be seen. Kishu pressed a button that opened a door that led out to the road. He drove out, pushed the same button, and then we were off.

Off to find my family.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya:)**

**Don't think I'm gonna write that long a review today. Actually feeling kinda glum. I've no idea why. **

**This chapter is a bit longer than what we've had till now, but it's not one of my best works. There is, however, fluff in the end. I don't know about you people, but I cannot resist the fluff:)**

**Just go read the story. Oo, and I keep forgetting to say this, but review! **

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**Ichigo p.o.v.**

After a long drive through the forest, we were at my old house. We parked a few blocks away in the bushes, so if there were new owners, they wouldn't see us. Then we snuck to the backyard. There, I began sniffing around.

It didn't take long to find what I was searching for. Even though I didn't know what that something was. I just figured my family would at least leave me a clue.

And they had. I dug into the ground with my hands, and soon I took a small box out of the earth. I shook the dirt of and inspected it. When I realized what had to be inside, I inhaled sharply. Kishu gave me a questioning look.

_In the car_, I mouthed, and he nodded. We quickly made our way back to the car, but I couldn't help but stop and stare, with brimming tears, at the house I grew up in. So many memories... I'd been ripped away from this place, and my family. I guess my mom had been right. Humans were bad.

I felt arms snake around me, and I mentally corrected myself. Some humans. Not all. Like Kishu. He led me to the truck, and I climbed back in, clinging to the only hope of finding my family.

While Kishu started driving away from the city, I opened the box. Inside was a letter and a little multicoloured bag. I read the letter first.

_Dear ichigo,_

_If you're reading this, I know you've escaped. Just know that I am so proud of you for escaping. I know that you'll find your way back to us from here. This will help you find us quicker. This shouldn't have been the way to give it to you, but don't worry; we'll celebrate when you get back._

_Love_

_Mom, dad, lily and Allen_

_p.s. I should've told you earlier, but I'm pregnant. With twins. Hopefully you'll be here soon to meet them. I'm sure they would love to meet their big sister._

Tears streamed onto the paper and into the box as I reached for the little bag. I opened it and shook the insides into my hand. It was a colour changing collar, with a pendant on it.

The pendant. The coming of age pendant. I should've gotten this when I turned seventeen, a legal adult cat. But I hadn't been able to.

I wound it around my neck, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I took it off again and stared at it. I hadn't felt any different, which was definitely a bad sign. With the pendant came power. I should've been a stronger cat by now. Why wasn't it working?

Maybe it's broken, a voice in my head whispered. But that was impossible. It was a magic item. They didn't break. I was just doing something wrong. But what?

I crept to the front, showing Kishu the letter and explaining the pendant to him. He took it in well enough, considering he was a human.

After that I put everything, including the pendant, in the box. I hid the box in the truck, and then I slid down onto some pillows that we had stuffed in the corner before we left.

I had to figure out what to do, but for now, all I wanted was to sleep. This day had been exhausting, and I was still wounded. Maybe a nap would be a good idea.

Before I knew it, I was sound asleep again.

I was woken up to darkness by kishu. He was shaking me softly, whispering softly to me. I sat up drowsily and stared at him. He was grinning.

'We need to do some shopping. I figured I'd get some clothes for you, and then you could put them on in here and come choose some food with me. Sound okay?'

I nodded half-heartedly, still not really awake. He chuckled and asked for my clothes and shoe sizes, and I gave them to him. He left, and I went back to sleep.

A little later Kishu woke me up again. He pushed a bag into my hands, and left the truck for me to get changed. Thanks to my enhanced vision (A/N sorry if this sounds really lameXD), I saw that his cheeks were red. I wondered why while I checked the clothes. When I found out though, my cheeks burned brighter than his.

In the bag was a skirt, a pair of leggings, a hoodie, a packet with underwear and a bra. I looked at the bra as my cheeks grew hotter and hotter. But seeing as kishu was waiting outside for me, I put the embarrassing thoughts aside and put on the clothes. Everything fit perfectly, thankfully. Or maybe it was just the thought of having clothes that weren't so revealing that made them so nice.

I climbed out of the van. When I saw him leaning against the van, my cheeks started heating up again. Kishu chuckled, even though he was red as well. Quickly, he pushed some other bags into the van. Then, he took my hand and started pulling me to the store.

'Come on, we're just a normal couple going to the store. Kay?'

I nodded, even though I was starting to feel squeamish. Going about like any other regular human again... it had been so long. What if I did something that gave me away? I didn't want to be locked up again!

Kishu felt my resistance, and turned around to put his arms around my waist and pull me to his chest. He rubbed my shoulders softly. Strangely, it helped. I relaxed in his arms and leaned against him.

'Normal couple,' he whispered. 'Okay?'

I nodded again. This time, I felt surer of myself.

Kishu turned back to the store, but kept one arm around me. We started walking again.

When we entered the store, I felt all of the leftover worry flow out of me. It was just a trip to the store, for heaven's sake. I had done it hundreds of times before, when I had still been part of this wonderful human world. What was there to worry about?

We got all of the basic foods that we would need to survive. Then, kishu pulled me over to the candy section.

'Go on,' he said. 'Pick whatever you want.'

I very nearly strangled him when I hugged him, but I didn't care. He was the nicest, sweetest, most generous person I had ever met. And I loved him for that.

... No! Not like that! Jeez, don't take everything so literally...

Eventually we left the store with about ten bags of shopping, one of those bags entirely filled with candy. What can I say? Don't let the child loose in the candy store.

When we finally had everything loaded into the van, I dropped down onto the cushions, completely exhausted.

'You should probably get some sleep,' Kishu said. 'You had a busy day.'

'But that's... not very nice... to you,' I slurred. 'I wouldn't be a very good travel buddy.'

'I'll go to sleep soon too. I'll just park the van somewhere remote, and then I'll hit the sack. Just go to sleep.'

He didn't need to tell me twice. The last thing I heard was the car engine starting.

Warm lips on mine. Hands in my hair, clinging to it. Soft hair brushing my cheeks.

A dream, I thought hazily, definitely a dream.

And yet, this dream felt so real. Lips really were brushing against mine softly. Fingers were caressing my cheeks softly.

I kissed the mysterious person back, grabbing onto his shirt. This was one of the nicest dreams I had had in a long time. Because I knew who this person was.

Kishu. There was no other person I would dream about like this than him.

Kishu gasped when I kissed him back. And to answer, he pushed his lips against mine, hard. The kiss deepened. Fire was racing through my lips, my whole face. I never wanted this dream to end.

At last kishu broke the kiss, letting me slide back down slowly to the cushions. He was kissing my neck now, nuzzling it.

'I love you,' he whispered. 'I love you so much. When those people took you away from me, I swear my heart broke. I promise you, they'll never take you away from me again.'

With those sweet words in my head, I sank into peaceful darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hiya!**

**I'm sooooo relieved. My test week's over and I aced all my tests. Even Physics (which is a really big thing for me). and I've been staying at my friend's house for a few days. It's funny:) Wednesday is my birthday-party, together with one of my friends. My friends have been planning something for weeks, and I'm dying to find out what it is. Yay:D**

**Lately, I've been writing another TMM story. Problem is, I've been writing it in a notebook. So, I'm going to put the first two chapters up, and I'm going to let you people decide if I should continue writing it! Well, I'll probably keep writing it, I just won't put it on FF. Well, enjoy all the chapters!**

**Kishu p.o.v.**

I wasn't sure where I was at first when I woke up. But Kishu's sleeping profile made me remember everything, including the very disturbing dream I had had last night. I blushed a little just thinking about it. Why on earth was I dreaming about kissing Kishu? It's not like he would ever actually want to kiss me. That thought made me a little sad for some reason.

My thoughts didn't linger on that subject very long. The fact that Kishu was sleeping next to me, practically snuggling me in his sleep, was causing butterflies to run a rampage in my stomach. What the heck was he doing next to me?

'Kishu,' I whispered. I shook him a little. 'Wake up.'

'Just a few more minutes,' Kishu mumbled, grinning a little. His hands slid around my waist and pulled me even closer to him than I already was. He started kissing my neck, and I gave a small 'eep!'. My heart was pumping uncontrollably. Just then kishu seemed to realize what he was doing, because he pulled back and looked at me in astonishment. I was sure I was beet-red by now.

'You... uhm... I... well...'

'What are you doing here?' I demanded. 'Next to me, I mean.'

'Uhm, well, I needed some sleep, and this is the only bed.' Damn. hadn't thought of that. Looks like we'll be sharing a bed while we're travelling together.

'Were you dreaming about someone?' I asked, remembering what he had been doing to me with a slight blush. But kishu blushed even more, and I just had to laugh. 'You like someone, don't you? Have you already confessed? Is she your girlfriend now?' I started feeling guilty when I asked these questions. Was kishu's girlfriend worrying about his safety right now?

'Yeah, fine, I like someone,' kishu huffed. 'But she doesn't know. She has no idea. She's too dense to realize.'

I smacked his arm. 'Dummy! Don't call your crush dense! She'll get mad when she finds out!' I smacked his arm again. 'And what are you doing helping me, when you should be winning that girls heart?'

He stared at me with a very strange look in his eyes.

'What?'

**Kishu p.o.v.**

Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble. How can anyone be that dense?

Or maybe I'm just not showing it properly.

Only one way to help that, right?

'I _have_ told her. But I don't think she heard me. I'll say it again, every day, until she finally understands.' I looked ichigo straight in the eye. 'I love her. I love her so much, it actually felt as if my heart had been taken away when she left. She's back now, and I'm not going to let her go without letting her know how I really feel about her.'

She's got to understand now, right?

Wrong. So, so wrong.

Her expression seemed to turn... sad? No, probably not. An emotion I couldn't understand. Then it turned expressionless. She turned away from me.

'You really haven't changed much, you know. From when we were kids. You're still an idiot.' I saw her smile a little, and I knew what she was thinking about.

_**Flashback (chibi-kishu p.o.v.)**_

I sat there under the big oak tree, far away from where all the other kids were playing, sniffling. They were so mean.

'What's wrong?' a tiny voice asked me. I looked up to a cute face surrounded by bright red hair and with brown eyes. She was looking at me curiously, and yet worried at the same time. I recognized her as the new girl, Momomiya Ichigo.

'They're teasing me,' I cried. 'Because of my ears.'

'What's wrong with them?'

I bet I looked shocked. Couldn't she see what was wrong with them? They were very pointy ears. My nickname since I had come to this school had always been elf-ears. And I hated it. I hated my ears.

'They're too pointy.'

Ichigo grinned at me. 'I like them! They suit you, and they look like cat-ears! That's my favourite animal. What about you?'

I just stared at Ichigo in amazement. Was this girl real? It couldn't be, right? She was accepting me... she even said she liked my ears! Could it really be...?

'...I like cats...' I mumbled quietly after some time.

Ichigo jumped up and down excitedly. 'Great! Wanna play cats with me Kishu-kun? It's really fun!' she reached out her hand and, hesitantly, I took it. She pulled me up easily, and started pulling me all around. 'I like you, Kishu-kun!' she called over her shoulder, and my heart exploded.

That was the day that I had met Ichigo. That was the day I had started loving my ears. That was the day I gave my heart away.

_**End flashback**_

I smiled too at the memory. 'Guess I know why you're favourite animal's a cat now, huh?'

She shook her head. 'Honestly, I should've never said. I could've exposed us then and there. My parents shouldn't have sent me to school at such a young age.'

'Why did they, then? Isn't there some cat-colony somewhere were all the cats live?'

'Of course there are. Multiple ones, at least. But my parents are part of a group of cats who think we should keep more in touch with our human side, seeing as it's there.' She shook her head again. 'You know, I spent most of my happiest times at school, and yet, in the end, that's exactly why I got sent to prison. Because I had actually thought I could be part of this world.'

'I'm glad,' I whispered. She whipped her head round at me and stared with those big brown eyes. 'that you came to our school anyway. That you decided to join our world. I wouldn't have met you otherwise.' I grinned at her. 'Best friends till the end, ey, kitten?'

She smiled. 'We've been past the end already. Best friends forever.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Heyho!**

**So sorry for not updating for so long. This week's been really busy, and I'm actually still very busy, but I found some time to post this chapter real quick. But first, an important announcement:**

**I am going on holiday for a month, and I have no idea if I'll have internet where I'm going. So don't expect updates for a while. If I do have internet there, I'll post a new chappie as quick as possible!**

**There, I feel better now:)**

**I haven't been able to check the spelling in this chapter so if you find mistakes, sorry! But it's extra long, so I hope that makes up for it:)**

**Enjoy!**

**Ichigo's p.o.v.**

And that's how it went. We spent a few weeks just driving south, away from Tokyo. I still didn't feel comfortable with this. Kishu should've been in Tokyo, confessing his love to whoever he was in love with. But he insisted that he didn't want to leave me alone with this. Secretly, I was really glad he didn't want to go, even though I would never admit it. Even so, I made him promise that as soon as I had found my family, he would rush straight to his love and tell her straight out. I would drag him there myself if I had to. And trust me, I could. He agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly, in the end.

Our drives were filled with fun chatter that I had missed so much in prison. There was food, there were books, a small dvd-player, and best of all, music.

I had always loved singing, and a lot of people had always complemented me on my voice. Hey, I'm not bragging or anything, just telling the truth.

We brought up a lot of old memories to. I laughed more in those weeks than I had in a year, and it felt amazing.

Sleeping was embarrassing though. During the day I would sit in the front next to kishu while he drove. In the evening we would get something to eat at some restaurant or a drive-through. That's usually when I started to feel tired. Then, a few hours after we got back into the car, and I literally couldn't keep my eyes open, kishu would command me to go to bed. I would argue, he would argue, and I would lose. Then, when I woke up the next day, kishu would always be next to me, hugging me tightly too him. I guessed he was still dreaming about his crush, but it still made me blush like mad.

All the driving we were doing was getting us nowhere really. We didn't have a single clue where my parents could've gone. Probably somewhere remote and secluded. Maybe with one of the cat covens, but I didn't remember the way to any of them. Our only hope was me activating the pendant, which should always 'lead us home'.

So far, no luck.

'Come on!' I growled, frustrated. I clenched the pendant in my hand, willing it to come to life, or make me come to life, or whatever! Just to do something, anything to help me!

'Don't get angry at it. It'll work. Just give it some time,' kishu tried to calm me.

'But what if it doesn't work at all? What if I need the coming of age ritual to activate it? I've never even seen it before! I doubt I can do it on my own.' I drifted off as I stared dully in front of me. 'Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm not strong enough. Or maybe it's a sign, telling me that I don't deserve to find my family. That I should stay a lone cat.'

Kishu reached over and grabbed my hand, gently squeezing it. 'Don't say that. Of course you need to find your family. They need you.' He glanced over at me. 'And you need them.'

I looked to him again and smiled, reassured. Kishu always knew how to make me feel better. It's the reason he was my best friend.

I looked in front again, just about to put the pendant back in its box, when a large black cloud in the distance caught my eye.

'Kishu? Do you see that?'

'Wha-' he started, then cut off. He had spotted it as well.

'What do you think it is?'

'I don't know, but it doesn't look promising.' He glanced at me. 'Wanna take a look?' I nodded, and he pressed the gas pedal, hurrying to get us over there.

I heard the screams from a few minutes distance, and I saw the bright glow in the sky. A fire, and a big one by the looks of it. Someone was probably trapped! We saw a small wooden cabin caught in flames. 'O my god!' I screamed as kishu stopped the van. We both got out. I was sure Kishu could hear the screams now too over the crackling of the flames.

'We have to do something!' I yelled at Kishu.

'I'll call 911!'

'There's not enough time!' I shouted, panicking. We had to get those people out of there! How, how...!

'Ichigo!' Kishu yelled at me again. 'You're glowing!' what in the name of the holy cupcake...

I was actually glowing, my pale skin now aglow with bright blue light. I felt the pendant, that I had been clutching violently in my hand, shake. I looked at it and, out of nowhere, words popped out of my mouth.

'Mew mew strawberry, metamorphosis!'

I kissed the pendant softly, not understanding what I was doing, and yet knowing fully what to do at the same time. Quite unnerving actually. A few spins, somersaults and cute poses later, I was standing there, a little dizzy from the dance routine I had just performed, in a puffy pink dress with small gloves and cute boots. What the...!

I heard the screams in the building once again, and, again, words came out of my mouth.

'Strawberry bell!'

A heart-shaped frame with a bell on it appeared in my hands.

'Strawberry check!' I aimed at the house, and light shot out of the strange object, dousing some of the flames. Okay, I had no idea what was going on, but it was actually helping me save those people!

'Call 911!' I shouted at Kishu in a hurry. Then I sped into the house.

I jumped from room to room as I dodged falling pieces of burnt wood and furniture on fire. I coughed as I called for the people in the house. Soon I heard someone call back. I sped into a room finding a young woman with a baby in her hand. She seemed a bit reassured, until I came in that is. She screamed when she saw my ears and tail, which was by the way wrapped in this really cute bow and a bell... focus, ichigo!

'Ssshhh, calm down, I'm here to help you!' she stopped screaming, and backed away as I came forward. Then she glanced at her baby, and back to me.

'Can you save my baby?' she screamed at me, holding the bundle out to me. She was trusting me with her baby?

'I'll save you both!' I called, and rushed to her, picking her up. 'Hold on to the child.' I ran back the way I came, looking for the exit.

We made it out of the house alive, and I put the lady on the ground next to kishu. He looked me over to see if I was alright, and I nodded. I turned back to the woman.

'Was there anyone else in there?'

She nodded with tears in her eyes. 'My husband, and my son. In the basement! Hurry, please!' funny how people learned to trust others when they truly needed to.

I made my way back into the house, quickly finding a set of stairs leading down. In the basement I saw two figures slumped on the floor coughing. A man holding a little boy, who was weeping into the man's chest with fear. I jumped over to them and pulled the man up. When he felt me tugging at him, he stared at me, wide-eyed. I was impatient, knowing somehow that this house was going to collapse any second.

'Give me the boy!' I shouted, and he obliged. Then I ushered him to climb onto my back, which he did. I told him to hold on tightly and I prayed that he would actually listen in the coma-like state he was in now. Then I was rushing up the stairs. I struggled this time, seeing as the man and the boy were heavier. But the house was starting to groan loudly, and the fear was giving me an adrenaline-boost. With one last burst of power, I ran out of the house just as the house collapsed behind me.

I stumbled to where Kishu was taking care of the woman. The man got off my back and took the boy from me, walking to his wife and baby and embracing them tightly. I sunk onto my hands and knees unsteadily. I heard a small pop, and suddenly I was back in my normal clothes.

That's when I realized I was shaking violently, and tears started to leak out of my eyes. Guess this was what a near death experience felt like.

I felt arms encircle me and I pushed myself closer to Kishu, desperately needing the comfort. 'You were amazing,' Kishu whispered to me, and I smiled.

'Not much of a hero, though, seeing as I burst into tears right after the first rescue.'

He pushed me playfully, and I pushed him back, laughing again. Had I seriously just saved a family from a burning house? Pride filled my every vein.

Said family came over to me, the man holding the baby in his arms and the boy by one hand. The woman leapt over to me a hugged me tightly. I gasped, surprised, and then gently squeezed her back.

'Thank you, thank you so much! I owe you my family's life! How can I ever repay you?'

I was all ready to decline, but a thought popped into my head. 'Well there is one thing...'

'Tell me!'

'Please don't tell anyone I saved you, or that we were here,' I told her. She looked at me in confusement.

'Why not? Everyone should know about you, because...'

'You know what I am, don't you? And you know what they do to people like me? Do you want me to end up in prison?'

The woman looked at me hesitantly, then shook her head. 'You don't deserve prison. You are good.'

I smiled. 'Of course I am! Who told you I wasn't? You know what, don't answer that.'

I backed away, planning to leave. The paramedics would probably be here soon, and they wouldn't react well to me.

'Wait!' the father called. 'Will we see you again?'

I smiled again. 'When the world accepts us for who we are.' With that, I pulled kishu with me to the van that was parked around the corner. At least Kishu had thought of that much. We sped off, away from the smoldering remains.

He drove for about half an hour at a maniacs pace. Then he turned into a side road, drove far enough not be seen, and stopped the car. He grabbed his first aid kit again, and turned to me.

'So, we getting that wound sorted or what?'

I looked myself over and noticed that I actually had this huge wound on my arm, and I hadn't even noticed it. Guess I really was an airhead.

I giggled to myself as kishu cleaned the wound and wrapped some bandages on it. When he finished, we both looked up into each other's eyes at the same time.

You know those moments when two desperately-in-love-but-don't-want-to-show-it characters in TV shows look into each other's eyes and it's like there is nothing there except them? I used to burst into a fit of fan-squeals when that happened, cooing and awing and laughing my head off all at the same time.

This wasn't like on TV. This was way, way worse. Or better. Or both.

My head swam as I stared at Kishu and he stared back. My heart quickened, and as I hesitantly leaned forward, I tried to remember how to breathe. Just as my lips were about to brush his, I snapped out of it, pulling my head back with a snap. Kishu seemed slightly dazed, with a very distant gaze in his eyes.

I breathed in heavily. I had almost kissed Kishu. But... why? It wasn't as if I... I mean, I didn't think I... then again... was I actually falling for Kishu? I couldn't be, right? I couldn't! First of all, he was human. Not of my species. And second, he was in love with someone else, for god's sake! How could I be that stupid!

The truth was, I was stupid. I had fallen in love with Kishu, a mere human. No, not a mere human, the kindest and most sincere of all humans. And I had fallen hard. my heart was soaring, higher and higher with every beat. And yet at the same time, it was plummeting, dangerously close to hitting the surface and breaking into thousands of pieces.

Because I was not the one he loved.

I felt like crying at the thought. Wanting to have some private time, I started undoing my seat belt.

'I... I need a nap,' I lied to Kishu, who still seemed slightly fazed. He nodded and restarted the car while I climbed into the back and dropped myself onto the heap of pillows. I faced away from Kishu so he wouldn't be able to see my face and let the tears spill out of my eyes.

Who was the girl Kishu was in love with anyway? He hadn't told me anything useful, hadn't given me even the tiniest hint. Maybe it was reneé. I remembered the girl from my used-to-be class who had practically every boy at her feet and worked part-time as a model. She was pretty, really tall with violet hair, and really cool as far as I remembered. Kishu and reneé would make a cute couple.

I fell asleep with a haunting image of Kishu and reneé, embracing each other, and me in the distance, totally ignored and lost.

Kishu p.o.v.

I wasn't sure what to make of the sounds behind me. There was a lot of sniffing and the occasional whimper. When her breathing slowed, it did not stop. She squirmed in her sleep, as if fighting something in her head.

Wanting to investigate, I parked the car somewhere in some dense bushes and climbed into the back.

Her face was tear streaked and pained, much like the day I had seen her in prison. I frowned worriedly, and stroked her cheek with my hand. Her whimpering only got worse, and I got scared. Did she get hurt in the fire and was she in pain? I grabbed her face with my hands, softly, and tried to wake her up. After a few whispers and shakes, she started mumbling.

'Mama?'

I relaxed. She was missing her family. That's why she was crying.

'It's alright, Ichigo,' I whispered. 'I'm here.'

'It's hard, mama.'

Wow. She was really out of it. Might as well go along.

'What's hard?' I whispered.

'Love.'

I felt taken aback. Ichigo was in love? Could it be... my heart pounded hopefully as she kept mumbling.

'It's so hard, because I love him, but he doesn't love me.'

'Who, Ichigo?' I whispered urgently. 'Who?'

'K-kishu,' Ichigo whispered, with her eyes wide open. She was awake.

'You... you were listening to me sleep talk! You pervert!'

'But... but... I... you... uuuuuuhm...' before I got the chance to say anything decent, Ichigo bonked me on the head, hard. I rubbed my sore spot while she glared at me.

'That should teach you to meddle in my dreams!'

'Sorry!' I mumbled, holding my hands up in surrender. 'It was just, you were crying, and then you were mumbling about love...' I smirked at her. 'Is my kitten in love?'

Her face turned red as I called her by her new nickname. 'Don't call me that! And, FYI, I am SO not in love! Or crushing on someone! Or anything! So butt out, Kishu!'

I held up my hand in mock salute to her and got up so I could start driving again. In my head I was groaning. _So close_. Real close. But I would find out. Mark my words.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hiya!**

**Guess I do have internet:D enjoy!**

**Ichigo's p.o.v.**

I woke up in the night to a strange beeping noise in the distance. It was annoying me, even though it sounded far away. Maybe I should go take a look.

I opened my eyes, only to see Kishu's face right in front of me. He was hugging me again, and our lips were only inches apart. As usual, I blushed a deep red. But this time, my ears and tail popped out as well.

'What the...' I whispered as my hands flew to my ears. Thanks to that, I could hear the strange noise clearer now. It wasn't a beeping noise, it was more like... a tiny voice repeating the same words. _Gotta find her, gotta find her_. And it was getting closer.

I shook Kishu, trying to wake him up. 'Kishu. Kishu, wake up.'

'I don't wanna yet,' he murmured, burying his head into my neck. I sighed, content. Then I shook my head. Focus, ichigo! This is not the time to dream about Kishu! But he does look really cute when he's sleeping... dang it!

Just then something hit the truck, making a loud bang. I screamed, and Kishu shot up, hugging me tighter while trying to calm me down. I whimpered as he looked out the windows.

'Ichigo, it's okay. Maybe it was just a branch. We should take a look.'

I whimpered again, pressing my face into his chest.

'It's okay, ichigo. I'll protect you if I need to. No one's going to take you back to that prison. Got it?'

Funny how he could figure out what I had been afraid of all this time just like that. He really was my best friend.

I nodded, trying to act brave and failing miserably. Kishu pulled me to the van door and opened it a bit. After making sure the coast was clear, he got out, me following his trail. I clung to his hand as I looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, a strange shape flew around the side of the van and straight into my face. I swallowed my scream and ripped off the thing that could best be described, after a closer look, as a puffy heart-shaped ball with wings, ears and a tail. After getting over the initial shock, I studied it a bit more, swinging it around by its tail.

'What the...' I muttered.

'My tail!' the thing said. 'Girl let go, girl let go!'

I released the thing, staring at it as it started floating in front of my face. Then I laughed.

'It's actually kinda cute,' I laughed as I reached out to pet it and Kishu chuckled behind me.

'Gotta find her, gotta find her,' the little thing said, and I realized this was what had woken me earlier.

'Who do you need to find?' I cooed at her.

'Momomiya ichigo, momomiya ichigo,' it said. I froze.

Kishu reached out and grabbed the little fluffball, bringing it close to his face. 'What do you want with Ichigo?' he hissed at it.

It struggled violently as it beeped. 'Got a message, got a message! Let go, let go!'

I hesitantly reached out and put my hand on Kishu's arm. 'It's okay,' I said. 'It can't hurt us, right? It's too small.'

'We don't know that, Ichigo. It could be dangerous to cats like you.'

'It doesn't look like a killing machine. Let's just... let it talk.' I gently pried Kishu's fingers off of it and cupped it into my hands. 'I'm sorry Kishu tried to throttle you,' I whispered at the shivering ball in my hands. 'My name's Momomiya Ichigo. You said you had a message for me?'

The thing studied me apprehensively. All of a sudden, blue lights flashed out of his eyes.

'Ichigo? Ichigo? O god, I can't believe I can finally use this thing.'

I nearly dropped the thing as I recognized the voice. Mum.

'I knew you'd escape some day. You're way too smart to let some humans keep you locked up.' There were snuffling noises, as if she was crying. 'O baby, I missed you so much. We all did. We've been so worried, your dad and I. And your siblings were devastated. But never mind that. When we received the signal from your pendant, we sent this little thing immediately. It's a little... robot, I guess you could call it. It has a weird name with all kinds of letters and numbers that I can't remember, so it'd probably be better if you gave it a new name. It's yours now honey. It's just as special as you are. But I'll explain later. This little cutie here will take you to us. We'll see each other later. We love you!' the message cut off, and the little robot flew up. Kishu started wiping away the tears that I hadn't noticed streaming down my face.

'Ichigo,' he murmured. 'It's okay. You found them.'

'I know,' I choked out. 'I'm okay. I finally get my family back.' I looked up at Kishu. 'I haven't seen them in over a year, Kishu. I didn't think I'd ever see them again. I... I don't... well... I guess I'm just happy. And a crybaby.' I laughed through my tears. 'You know this means you're not stuck with me anymore, right? My family's probably not too far from here. You can go home.' Maybe this was why I was crying. Trust me, I was glad to have my family back and all, overjoyed actually, but another part of me was breaking at the thought of Kishu leaving and never coming back. Never seeing him again.

I think I might've imagined it, but I thought I saw his smile falter as I rushed through my last words. But if it did, then only for a second, because he was smirking at me again as always.

'You're not getting rid of me that easily, kitten. I'm seeing to it that you get to your family whether you like it or not.'

I blushed as he started leading me to the van. 'I thought I told you to stop calling me that?' I muttered. He chuckled, obviously loving my reaction. Honestly, sometimes he made it so hard to not want to hit him.

I was opening the door as I remembered something. 'Wait!' I called. 'Where's the little fluffball gone?' I looked around, and saw the thing staring at me from the roof of the van. It was still shivering a little. 'You poor thing,' I cooed as I reached up to grab it. I cradled it to my chest as I got in the van. 'I really am sorry for just now. We just thought you were trying to hurt me. You know what happened to me, right? Well, I think those people are looking for me. But you're not going to hurt me, are you? You're my friend.' It was relaxed in my arms now that it knew it was safe. I rocked it back and forth. Suddenly, I remembered something else. 'You haven't got a name yet, have you? So what should I call you then? I could call you fluffy...' I turned to kishu, who was trying not to laugh. 'Okay, something else. How about... Marie-Louise?' Kishu stuck his tong out in disgust, and I nodded. 'You're right, too long. Hmm, what do you think of... Masha?' Kishu stuck his thumb up in agreement. I smiled. 'Okay then, that'll be your new name. Masha. Are you okay with that?' the thing, no, Masha nodded slowly. She looked exhausted. And I was too actually. 'Okay Masha,' I Yawned. 'Tomorrow you can show us the way to my parents. Let's just go to sleep now.'

We fixed one of the pillows on the front seat up for Masha. Then we got into our own bed. It was the first time I was conscious when Kishu got in bed with me. Nevertheless, I was blushing like mad. I hoped he couldn't see.

That hope was crushed as he chuckled. His arms circled me, and he pulled me closer to him. I tried to get out, with no success. I sighed. 'Why do you always do that?'

'Do what?'

'Hug me when you go to sleep.'

'It's how I sleep.'

'You sleep with a girl in your arms every night?'

'I wish. Nah, it's usually my teddybear.'

'I'm not a teddybear.'

'Pretend.'

'I don't wanna be your teddybear.'

'Too bad.' He snuggled his head into my neck, making me shiver. I could just feel him smirking. He was so going to die tomorrow. When I had the energy to actually do some damage. Right now I just wanted to sleep.

'Kishu?'

'Hmm?'

'Thank you. For staying and... everything.'

'Don't thank me yet. Save it for later.'

I wanted to protest, but I was already drifting off. So I snuggled into Kishu's chest and let the blackness surround me. Kishu mumbled a few last words, but I was already fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi! **

**I finally have internet again! Yay:D so I'll just give you the chapter instead of making a long A/N. Enjoy!**

**Ichigo p.o.v.**

'Are we there yet?' I asked as I bounced up and down.

'No.'

... 30 seconds later...

'Are we there yet?'

'No.'

... another 30 seconds later I opened my mouth to ask again when Kishu said: 'We're not there yet.'

I grimaced as I tried to stop bouncing. 'I'm getting annoying, aren't I?'

He smirked as he shook his head. 'We passed annoying hours ago.'

It'd been like this all morning. I had woken up to find the space next to me empty for once. This was great, seeing as it spared me the agony of staring at his face with his lips so close to mine, and terrible for, well, the same reason. Confusing, right? That's what I thought.

It hadn't taken me long to figure out we were moving. I spotted him n the driver's seat, awkwardly talking to Masha while said fluff ball stared from his cushion on the dashboard apprehensively. I had climbed next to Kishu and picked up Masha, stroking her soft fur. That's how we travelled. That is, until I started getting restless. I'd been asking the same question for hours, apparently.

I sighed and put Masha back on her pillow. 'Sorry. Nerves, I guess.'

'What's there to be nervous of?'

'Well, I haven't seen them in a year. Who knows how much they've all changed, especially my brother and sister. Now that I think of it, I have more siblings now. And I don't even know their names! Not to mention, they live separated from the human world now, and do you know what that means? A pack! Loads more cats that I've never met! A whole new family! So in conclusion, there is enough to be nervous about, thank you very much!'

Kishu waited a few seconds as I tried to control my breathing. 'Now that that's out of your system...' he said,' you feeling better?'

I did feel better actually, now that it was all off of my chest. I nodded, and he smiled. 'Glad I could help.'

About an hour later Kishu spoke the words that I had been hoping (and dreading) to hear. 'We're there.'

We had long ago left all traces of humanity behind us and we're deep in the woods. There was no road left to ride on, just a small clearing. But we didn't need to ride anymore. There we're signs of cats everywhere: scratches on the trees, catnip growing everywhere. And I could smell them. So many of them. My chest tightened anxiously. 'Yeah,' I whispered. 'They're here.'

I got out of the car. Masha floated beside me, beeping like crazy. 'Home, home!'

I swallowed hard. 'Hello? Is anybody there?'

Kishu appeared next to me. 'I don't see anything,' he whispered. 'Maybe-'

'Sssh,' I whispered. 'I heard something.' The sound of twigs snapping was audible, and I was certain it was getting closer. Figures moved in the shadows. Kishu saw them too, because he stood in front of me protectively.

They stepped out of the shadows slowly, poised and ready to attack. Cats. Ten, maybe twenty of them. They were looking at me curiously, as if they weren't sure what to do.

'ICHIGO!' voices yelled, and I spun my head. I knew those voices. My family.

Sure enough, a second later Lily and Allen crashed through the bushes and ran towards me. The tears came bubbling up, and I dropped to my knees to catch my younger siblings. We all clung onto each other, crying.

'She's here!' another voice yelled. 'She found us!' I looked up to see my mom and dad rush to us as well. They kneeled next to me, joining in the hug. It was all we could really do, just sit there hugging each other.

After a while I remembered Kishu. I looked up to find him looking at us with as smile, and I smiled back at him through my tears. My mom felt my head move and looked up at Kishu as well.

'And who might this young man be?' she asked.

'This is Kishu, mom. You know, from when I was younger?'

Kishu held up his hand in greeting. 'Nice to see you again, mrs momomiya,' he said.

I could practically see the radar's in my mom's head working overtime as she looked from me to Kishu and back. My cheeks burned a light pink as I imagined what she might be thinking.

'It is nice to finally meet you, Ichigo,' a tall man said to me in a deep voice. 'I am this pack's leader, Nyle. I've heard a lot about you.' I exhaled in relief. Saved by the tall, dark stranger. 'It's a pleasure to welcome you to this family.' He eyed Kishu suspiciously. 'Is he joining us as well?'

'No,' I answered. 'He was just helping me find my family. Nothing more.' Nothing more, I sighed in my head. Why couldn't it be more? Why did he have to go?

'I suggest he stays tonight, or he'll be driving all night,' my mother said to Nyle, giving me a quick wink. 'It's the least we can do to thank him.'

Nyle examined Kishu. 'Can we trust him?' I could hear the accusation in his voice, and I wondered if he knew cats who had been captured.

'Yes,' I answered.

'Very well,' he answered. 'He may stay.'

'Can he attend the ceremony?' mom asked. Nyle nodded, and she beamed at me.

'Which ceremony?' I asked.

'Your coming of age ceremony of course!' Lily beamed. I gaped at her.

'Tonight? I haven't had the time to prepare!'

'Don't worry!' Lily said. 'We'll take care of it!'

'Dad and Allen can take care of Kishu,' mom added. 'Let's go!'

I sent Kishu one last glance before Lily and mom dragged me off.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi:)**

**It's been a while. Sorry for that. It's just been a really busy summer, after I got back from holiday. And halfway through my laptop started acting up. But don't worry, I've got a few chapters ready. I've just got to edit them, and then I'll upload them, hopefully soon. Until then, enjoy this chapter!**

**P.S. this story is coming to an end, (even though it's not that long to begin with) but there is probably gonna be a sequel with some people we would all like to see:) and some we rather wouldn't, but that can't be helped:D**

**Ichigo p.o.v.**

To say this was weird was an understatement. No, not just an understatement, the understatement of the century. I thought I'd spend first night of my return with my family, crying over everything I'd missed. Well, I was right about one thing. There had been quite a bit of crying when my mom and sister had seen my back, and I had had to be the one to reassure them that I was fine now. That had been about two hours ago. My mom and sister still hadn't finished dolling me up, though they said these were just the 'last finishing touches'. I was restless, because I had just been sitting there waiting for them to finish me, worrying about the ceremony, which I held no knowledge of. Worst of all, this was the longest time I had spent away from Kishu in weeks. It wasn't working well for me. So my sister had left, saying she'd be back in a minute with a surprise for me.

'Sweetheart, cheer up,' my mother said as she tugged at my freshly washed hair. 'You're home. You're getting your coming of age ceremony at last. Why are you looking like that?'

'It's nothing, mom, really. It's just I thought we would spend tonight filling me in on everything, showing me around, getting me accustomed. Instead I get thrown headlong into my coming of age ceremony! I have no idea who these people are, where I'm going to be living, what's going to happen now. I've spent a year in a cage, not knowing what was going to happen to me or what happened to you lot! It's just a lot to take in. And it's my coming of age ceremony! Isn't it normal to be nervous?'

'I guess,' mom answered. 'But the ceremony's no big thing. It just, it needed to be done. There are a lot of things you need to know now that the pendants been activated.'

'Which reminds me,' I said. 'I don't remember you or dad ever changing into a frilly dress with this weird heartshaped thingie as a weapon. Mind explaining that to me?'

'It'll all be explained in the ceremony, honey. Don't worry. In the meantime, I think your sister's back.'

I looked behind me and let out a gentle 'aaaww'. My sister and dad were standing in the entryway of the cave we were in (apparently, these cats lived in a cave that had many corridors and rooms, so kind of like a one floor hotel). And each of them was holding a baby.

'Are those...?'

'Yep,' my mother said proudly. 'Meet Suki and Haru, your brother and sister.'

I walked over to inspect them. They looked alike, with the same dark hair and faces. The only difference was that Suki had golden eyes and Haru had black eyes. I adored them immediately.

'They're so cute,' I said. 'How old are they?'

'About four months,' dad said. 'They've been waiting to meet you.' As he said that, both the twins eyes fixed on me and they broke into baby-like giggles.

'Aaaw,' I said again, though slightly creeped out by how in sinc they were.

I didn't get long to play with my brother and sister. Before I knew it, my mom was dragging me through the maze of caves again, our family following behind us. We left the caves and trudged into the forest. It wasn't long before I saw a clearing, shaped like a circle and full of cats. I was told to wait in the trees until the signal sounded, and then I was alone, going into panick mode almost immediatedly.

'Just stay calm, just stay calm,' I chanted to myself. I was going nuts. I'd never agreed to this! Why was I doing it? I'm going to embarrass myself, I just know it. I was breathing rapidly and pretty sure I could pass out at any minute. Maybe I could sneak out. I could probably get away undetected...

'Ichigo?'

My head whipped round to see Kishu a few feet away. He was staring at me, like, literally staring at me with his mouth and eyes wide-open. It was creepy, and freaking me out even more.

'I know, I look weird. Horrible. I shouldn't go out there. I'm going to do something stupid and then everyone will laugh at me and I...'

'Ichigo,' Kishu breathed. 'You look amazing.'

That shut me up. Now I was staring at Kishu (and questioning his sanity). 'What?'

Kishu seemed to regain himself. 'I mean, well, you look... Beautiful.' His cheeks were red now, as were mine.

'I... I... I...' was all I managed to say.

'Anyway,' Kishu said. 'I just came to wish you good luck. So...' he stepped over to me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. 'Good luck,' he whispered into my ear. 'I know you'll do great.' And then he was gone, probably finding a spot in the audience.

A few minutes later, I heard bells, which was most likely the signal my mom was talking about earlier. I was still rooted to the spot, but, upon hearing the bells, I cursed myself and Kishu quietly. Damn him for making me miss my chance to escape!

Nerves thrummed through me as I slowly made my way through the bushes. I could already see the circle of people that would be watching, and the elder standing in the middle. Everyone was watching me closely.

Yep, I was definitely killing Kishu later.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey:)**

**It's not long, I know. Sorry. Enjoy though.**

**Ichigo p.o.v.**

I walked through the clearing, trying not to trip and seem graceful at the same time. I made it to the elder, and bowed my head. She nodded to me, and started the ceremony.

'Momomiya Ichigo,' the elder said with a grave voice. 'You are one among five who have been chosen to wield powers beyond your imagination. These powers have been given to you to protect the animal race as well as the human race.' She gave me a minute for that to sink in.

'Wait, the human race?' I asked, dumbfounded.

The elder nodded. 'Our race used to be friends with theirs. However, some of us grew corrupt, and the humans lost faith in us. Now they fear us because of the actions of some criminals.' she looked at me with a gentle smile. 'I know the humans have put you through many hardships, separating you from your family and torturing you. But it was because of their fear of us. You have already witnessed how forgiving the humans can be.' I thought of the family I had rescued from the burning house. 'And one human has helped you find us, even though it meant suffering serious consequences once he returns.' I looked around till my gaze caught Kishu's and we smiled at each other. 'I know you can forgive the humans, Ichigo. I see it in your eyes. I ask you to accept these powers we grant you. I ask you to restore the humans trust in us, by protecting them and us. I ask you to become a mew.'

The pendant around my neck began to pulse and emanated a warm glow. Soon enough my whole body was glowing with the same vibrant blue light as the day before. I wrapped the pendant in my fingers and accepted the power that it was trying to release.

'For the future of earth...' the words popped out of my mouth without my consent, but I didn't mind. This was how it was meant to be. 'I will serve!'

I walked through the tall bushes the next morning, a little drowsy from yesterday. Apparently, there were after parties after this kind of thing, and there had been a lot of dancing. Mostly with Kishu, because one, I didn't know any other boys in this tribe and two, well, you know, the whole in love thing. I blushed a little as I thought about how close me and Kishu had been yesterday. We hadn't said anything, just enjoyed each others company for as long as possible. Because today would be the last day we could.

I finally made it to the clearing where the van I had lived in the past month was parked. Kishu was there, loading some last minute supplies into the back. The sight of him preparing to leave brought tears to my eyes.

He noticed me hiding in the bushes after a little while, and smiled, beckoning me over. I walked over, trying to hold back tears.

'You look like a cat,' Kishu smiled as I stepped into his embrace. He traced the outline of my ears, and I shivered. 'They're soft.'

'I don't have to hide them here. And my mom washed them last night with some gross smelling stuff, so they feel extra soft.' my voice broke a few times saying these two sentences, and I reached a hand up to wipe away a few tears. Kishu rubbed my back soothingly.

'It's okay. I'm not dying or anything.'

'It feels like it.' I looked up into his eyes. 'I don't know if I'll ever see you again.'

'You can't get rid of me that easily,' he smiled down at me. 'I'll be watching too when you save more people from burning houses. And who knows, maybe you'll save me too once or twice.'

I shook my head, laughing through my tears. 'Wouldn't that put a dent in your manly pride?'

'I think I'll live.' he patted me on the head. 'I'll miss you, kitten.'

'Me too.' We slowly released each other, now only holding each others hands. 'Could you promise me something?'

'Anything.'

I bit my lip. 'You have to confess to the girl you're crushing on the moment you see her again.'

His smile wavered, but he nodded. 'I promise.'

'Good. Now go,' I said, releasing his hands. 'Your carriage awaits.'

Kishu grinned. 'Farewell, kitten. See you later.'

I watched as he got in the van, taking a few steps back when it started. He drove back slowly, then turned around. He waved one last time, and I waved back. I watched the van drive away, taking my heart with it.

'Don't forget me,' I whispered to the wind. I turned around and walked into the forest, without looking back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hiya!**

**Its really been a while. I really have no other excuse except school. I'm very very very sorry:( **

**For those of you who read TMM rewrite, thats gonna take a while longer. I wrote a few new chapters, but I'm gonna have to put them on the pc first. And I don't have time for that:(**

**Also, this story has almost come to its end. Just a few more chapters. But there will be a sequel! I already have a plot and everything:)**

**So anyways, enjoy!**

TWO MONTHS LATER

Quietly, I crept into the cavern I called my room. With a sigh of relief, I threw myself onto the bed, relishing in the soft covers. Another tiring day over.

I spent most of my days in Tokyo now, strange as it sounded. My purpose was to protect the people there as well as my own. Seeing as my people were pretty capable of handling themselves, I decided to focus most of my attention on the humans. And maybe that choice was made in hopes of seeing a specific human again too. Masha was by my side at all times, warning me if she sensed any trouble.

Focusing on Tokyo had been the right choice. So far, I had been busy with all kinds of rescues, from catching purse thieves to tracing kidnapped people. Of course, I couldn't hide the fact that I was a cat from the people that I helped. After the initial shock and screaming and junk, they had been really kind and thanked me for the help, just like the first family had. Except for one.

I had been patrolling the wealthier part of the city, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, when I heard an alarm go off. I raced over there to see a jewellery shop with a broken window and a cursing man just going back in. I jumped down to street-level, checking twice to see if anyone was around. It didn't take me long to catch the thieves scent, track him down and get him to cooperate. Before long I was hauling a tied up thief and a bag of jewellery into the shop. The owner looked up at me, surprised, and froze.

'I know this may look shocking to you,' I began, moving slowly. 'But I promise you, sir, I am only here to help.'

'You...' he stuttered. 'Y-you... you're...'

'A cat, sir. I am from the cat-tribe.'

He stared at me for a long time. I saw nothing wrong with this. I took a lot of people some time to get everything sorted in their head. What I wasn't expecting, was what he did next.

'Monster!' he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at me. 'You should be in a cage with the rest!'

'N-no, s-sir,' I stuttered, unsure of what to say. 'I...'

'They will get you!' the man warned. 'You just wait!'

In the distance I could hear the sound of approaching sirens. The police. I had to get out of there. So with one past pleading glance, I ran back outside and jumped, onto a two story building. I kept jumping till I got to the forest, and I hid there for the rest of the day, until sunset. The whole city was filled with sirens at that point, because of an animal sighting, aka me.

It didn't take long for them to put two and two together and figure out that I was the mysterious figure who went round saving people. Only, they didn't believe I was saving people.

I found a newspaper a few days later. An article on the front page caught my attention. An animal had been going round committing various crimes, and then afterward it would hypnotise the people who witnessed it to think it had saved them. The criminals I had dropped off at the police station were being released on bail because people thought I had just put the blame on them. I was fuming when I finished the article.

I did my best from then on. I helped as many people as I could, tried to make as many people as possible trust me. I left early in the morning and wouldn't return until the early hours, two or three in the morning. I was tiring myself out to make people see, and it worked gradually. Protest groups arose, claiming that I was a saviour, that I had helped more than the government ever had. They fought for me, but others disregarded them, because of the whole hypnotising powers.

To cut it short, I was the most wanted 'criminal' in Tokyo because I was helping people.

A knock resounded through the room, and I lifted my head slightly to see my mother walking into my room.

'How did it go, sweetie?' she asked me softly. She sat on my bed and started stroking my hair.

'I rescued two little girls,' I replied tiredly. 'Their parents had left them in the car while they went shopping, and the little girls were playing in the car. I think they hit the handbrake by accident, because they started moving. It was going down hill, towards the harbour. I heard them screaming, and using some of those new powers I stopped the car. I still don't know how that works, but it did. I got the girls out of the car and made sure I put the car on the brakes. The girls were shaking at first, but we talked and they calmed down. I'm friends with them now. Their names are Kimberley and Sasha. I waited for their parents to come back, and then I said goodbye really quick before I left.' I sighed as I ended my report. 'I hope those parents don't mind.'

'I'm sure they don't,' my mother reassured me. 'You saved their daughters lives.'

'Yeah, and I saved that shop owners expensive jewellery, and look how that turned out.' I groaned and fell back onto my bed. 'Why are humans so stubborn?'

'They'll see. They can't keep denying the truth forever.' she smiled at me. 'I wanted to talk about something else actually.'

'Okay,' I yawned. 'But can it be quick? I'm tired.'

'Sure honey. I just really wanted to ask... are you happy here?'

I closed my eyes, not wanting to look my mother in the eyes. 'Of course, mama. Why do you ask?'

'I was just wondering... if you miss Kishu.'

I hesitated. 'A bit.'

She sighed. 'I miss him. When you were smaller he used to come over all the time. I hoped you would marry him.'

'Mom!'

'It's true! And do you know why?' I shook my head, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer. 'Because he already loved you way back then.'

I stared at her, openmouthed. 'That's... not true.'

'Yes, it is! I saw it every time he looked at you. And even now, saving you from the prison and bringing you here...' she smiled again. 'After all this time he hasn't stopped loving you!'

'If he loves me, it is only as a friend. He is in love with someone else! He told me! And by now he has probably already confessed to her.' I turned my head, so I didn't have to look at my mother. 'Could you please go? I need some sleep before I head back to Tokyo.'

'Alright honey. Just remember what I said.' she kissed me softly on my forehead. 'Goodnight, sweetie. Dream sweet dreams.' I heard her walk out of my room, and I turned over, huddling in the blankets to make my own little burrow.

Even though I had been tiring myself out completely, the truth was that there hadn't been a day that I hadn't thought about Kishu. I had nightmares every night, dreams of him and some other girl. Sometimes a few tears would escape.

I would give anything to see Kishu again, but I didn't think that would help anything. So I locked that longing away, hiding it deep inside of me.

I let the darkness creep up on me, for once wishing for a dreamless night.


End file.
